The Dons varsity boys’ lacrosse team kicked off a new chapter last night with a solid win over Sacred Heart, an auspicious start to the season. 

New at the helm this year is returning coach Brent Ringwood who coached the Dons through a victorious era from 2007-2018. With a new coaching staff and a younger roster featuring only a handful of returning seniors, the Dons seemed itching to get the season started.

After a physical, scoreless defensive battle for most of the first quarter, Caleb Mason ignited the offense. With just one minute left in the period, Mason buried the first goal of the season, only to follow it up 45 seconds later with a second strike to give the Dons a 2-0 lead.

The momentum carried into the second quarter when Grady Evans pounced on a Sacred Heart turnover to make it 3-0. Grant Condy added another to the tally, sending the Dons into the half with a good lead, supported by the dominant face-off work of Mason Lanphere.

The Dons offense stayed on track in the second half, Luke Dafferner ripped a shot from 15 feet out to extend the lead to 5-0, followed by a goal from Jackson Tseng. Grant Condy then showcased his range, firing a strike from 15 yards for his second goal of the night.

Jan Korzeniowski made a smooth move and scored a great goal from close in with just 4 min left to make it 8-2.

Defensively, goalie Kyle Sanftner was a wall backed up by solid defense from Corbin Gallegos, Leo Deignan and Owen Hulst, keeping Sacred Heart off the board until late in the third quarter. While Sacred Heart managed to get in a couple late goals, the Dons’ early dominance was too much to overcome, resulting in a 8-3 season-opening victory.

Way to go, boys. See you Friday night.